Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Acquired by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 22.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,667 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 493 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $361,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Cynosure Group LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 4.3% during the third quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management grew its holdings in shares of Target by 1.2% in the third quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 5,736 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $894,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp grew its holdings in shares of Target by 3.3% in the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,156 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $336,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its holdings in shares of Target by 0.4% in the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 15,678 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,444,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Target by 1.1% in the third quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,818 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,063,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of Target stock opened at $132.44 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $135.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $143.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.04, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.15. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $120.21 and a 12 month high of $181.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). The business had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The business’s revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.10 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TGT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Target from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. HSBC cut shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $138.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Target from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded shares of Target from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $170.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $157.70.

Target Company Profile

Target Corporation operates as a general merchandise retailer in the United States. The company offers apparel for women, men, boys, girls, toddlers, and infants and newborns, as well as jewelry, accessories, and shoes; and beauty and personal care, baby gear, cleaning, paper products, and pet supplies.